Share memories of growing up with the great music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. My background includes radio and television personality as well as V.P. A&R for A&M Records, where I signed Bryan Adams. In 1997, I began Treasure Island Oldies, the Home of Lost Treasures. I play the biggies, but extensively feature hard to find rare oldies. Listen live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific and also the show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com
Let the memories flow!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present the feature Hits From Across the Pond with Fay Greenwood. There were many many British hits that also became popular in North America. However at times, there were also songs that becqame very big but only in England. That's what Fay brings the listeners of the show ever week. She spotlights a singer or group that may or may not be well known in the United States and Canada, but the particular song did not make it to the US charts.

I came across a great clip from YouTube that are good examples of artists and songs that were either not a hit at all in North America or that were minor hits. But the lineup of artists in the clip is impressive: Gerry & The Pacemakers, Dusty Springfield, Manfred Mann, The Fourmost and The Honeycombs.

Sit back and relax. This is going to be worth your time. And be sure to listen to Treasure Island Oldies for Hits From Across The Pond with Fay Greenwood every week in the first hour of the show.

Monday, May 25, 2009

May 24th to 30th, 2009Hi Folks, a big hello to our American friends and listeners who are celebrating Memorial Day and recognizing the sacrifices others have made for their country on their behalf recently and in the past so that they can enjoy freedom and democracy today and tomorrow.

What a crowd we had in the Chat Room once again this week. Every week someone new drops by for a visit and the Chat Room regulars, the Nuts in the Hut are most welcoming. We said hi to J and also to Tony. Please be sure to come back again. I do want to stress how important it is to follow the instructions for getting into the Chat Room completely. If you close any window during the login process, you will not be able to communicate with the folks in the Chat Room. It's not a complicated process but the instructions must be carefully followed. Click Chat on the Menu for all the information. Try it out for yourself during the next live show. We'd love to see you.

Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Bruce Toews in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We played Birthday by The Beatles for him and will do the same for your upcoming birthday. Just drop me a note with your name, city, country and date of your birthday. We'll wish you all the best on the air and also play our official Birthday song for you too. Send the info to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com

We had a ton of requests again this week including songs asked for by Tony in Western Pennsylvania, George in Edwardsburg, Michigan, Maureen in Berkeley, California, Dana in New Jersey, Fred in Saint Catharines, Ontario, plus it was nice to hear from Suzanne Beausoleil, a former singer in Quebec but who now lives in Fort Meyers, Florida. Thanks for all your requests. If there's a song you'd like to hear, send an email to me by clicking the Requests button on any page of the website or better still give me a call on our 24/7 Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Over at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog, our Song of the Week is by the incomparable Jimmie Rodgers in a great live performance from 1965 with Woman From Liberia. Can this guy ever sing. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice features O.C. Smith with two of his well known R&B Soul songs for your votes: Little Green Apples and The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp. Cast your vote by clicking the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

We are a few weeks away from our next special, our Annual Father's Day Special Sunday, June 14th. If you'd like for me to play a special song for your Dad, be sure to get your requests in within plenty of time. Click Requests or call the 24/7 Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678.

Looking forward to receiving your photo for the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Send your picture, name, city and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster Eddy Fisher will post your photo to the Listener Gallery.

If you missed the live show of May 24, 2009, just click Listen on the Menu and then the Archive button. Oh and also check out the Playlist to find out all the great songs we played on the show.

O.C. Smith was born Ocie Lee Smith on June 21, 1936 in Mansfield, Louisiana and was raised inLos Angeles, California. Sadly, this great R&B singer died at the age of 65 on November 23, 2001.

He appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on ten occasions between 1968 and 1974 and scored a Top Ten hit, which also becamke a Gold Recoprd for him.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features O.C. Smith with his first two charted singles for your votes: Little Green Apples and The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page and make your selection for the song you prefer. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

It's always a testament to the true talent of a recording artist hearing them sing live. Some can cut it easily while others just don't sound anywhere near as good as they do on record. In this case, Jimmie Rodgers sounds great both on record and live. Check out our Song of the Week from 1965 by Jimmie Rodgers, Woman From Liberia, performed live.

Monday, May 18, 2009

How do four hours go by so quickly? I can tell you it is having absolutely fantastic music to listen to, plus interaction with you, the listener. I've been getting many more requests and phone calls recently. Add to that the dramatic increase in the numbers of people listening and the additional new visitors to the Chat Rom. What a combination! Speaking of the Chat Room, it was great to have Mike and Maureen from Berkley, California stop by for a visit. And they also sent in a phone request for a great song I had not heard since it was first released. The song was Laugh by The Velvets. Thanks for the great request. We also welcomed Linda Guy from La Habra, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. She has been in touch via email and phone calls recently, and dropped by the Chat Room. Within a few minutes she was certified as a true Nut in the Hut. She was warmly welcomed by the regulars and I know Linda will now become a regular too. She said that Treasure Island Oldies is the kind of show she has been looking for for many years and she's thrilled to have discovered us.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to my mother, Kathleen Godin, who lives in Gatineau, Quebec and just turned 89. Well done Mom! I am going to have a visit with her for a couple of days this week; so much looking forward to seeing her, my sister and brother-in-law. I will be back home in time for next week's show. Happy Birthday as well to Cora Quinn in Peoria, Illinois and thanks to her friend Shirley Ham in Cincinnati, Ohio for letting me know. If you have a birthday coming up, please let me know. Send the details to birthday@treasureislandoldies.com

I've been receiving many comments regarding the posting to the Treasure Island Oldies Blog regarding Johnny Mathis. Thanks very much. It was great to meet him and to have the opportunity of having my picture taken with him.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog this week spotlights the great family voices of The Browns: Maxine, Bonnie and Jim Ed, in a live performance from National Life Grand Ole Opry in July, 1965 with The Three Bells, our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Next week on Voice Your Choice we feature The O'Jays with two of their smash hits for your votes: Love Train and Back Stabbers. I wonder if the results will be close. Cast your vote for the song you'd like to hear. Click the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

A big hello to Max Kroll in Lerum, Sweden. He has just sent in his photo and is now part of the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. I invite you to be part of the gallery too. All you need is your photo, name, city and country where you live and also how you hear the show, whether it be on your local FM, AM or Online radio station or directly online from the website. Send it to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and you can show the world you're a proud "Islander".

If you missed the live show of May 17, 2009, just click Listen on the Menu, then scroll down to the Archived Shows section. And be sure to check all the great songs we played. Click Playlist for the song titles and artists.

The O'Jays were from Canton, Ohio and their original line-up included Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby massey and Bill Isles. They were first known at The Triumphs and later The Mascots when they recorded for King Records in 1962, and later had record delas with Imperial, Bell and Neptune Records. They were renamed The O'Jays by Cleveland disc jockey Eddie O'Jay.

Although they appeared on the Billboard charts ten times between 1963 and 1970, it wasn't until they signed with Philadelphia International Records in 1972, owned by producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, that they hit their stride. They also became a trio with Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell. From that point on, they hit the charts and scored six Top Ten hits and five Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice features The O'Jays with two of their Gamble-Huff produced smash hits for your votes: Love Train and Back Stabbers.

To cast your vote go to the Voice Your Choice page and make your selection for the song you prefer. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Ahhh The Browns, the three sweet voices of Maxine, Bonnie and Jim Ed. What great harmonies they had and this video shows that they could not only sing well in the studio, but live as well in this July 16, 1965 clip from National Life Grand Ole Opry. Our Song of the Week is the classic The Three Bells.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Jimmy Jones was born June 2, 1937 in Birmingham, Alabama. This R&B singer only had four songs on the Billboard charts. Interestingly, his first two releases were both Top Five and also Gold Records. His next two songs barely scratched the surface of the Top 100, peaking at 83 and 85.

It's interesting that his two big hits have become such classics and have been covered by other recording artists over time, while his other two releases ended up becoming somewhat obscure.

I think it could end up being a bit of a tight race for the winner this week on Voice Your Choice. Treasure Island Oldies presents Jimmy Jones on Voice Your Choice with his two Top Five hits: Handy Man and Good Timin'. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page.

I had the good fortune to see Johnny Mathis perform in concert at the Red Robsinon Show Theatre in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam last Friday night. Upon arrival we were whisked away to the media booth, where we had an exceptional view of Johnny and his 23 piece orchestra, and excellent sound too.

He is in fantastic voice and continues to be a warm and genuine entertainer. His repertoire included a selection of Henry Mancini movie theme songs. That was great to hear. He also performed virtually every one of his hit songs with the exception of Wonderful! Wonderful!, which was a bit of a disappointment. But with so many other songs including Chances Are, Misty, The Twelfth Of Never, and so many more, the audience did not miss out whatsoever.

When the show was over I was surprised and pleased to be invited to meet him back stage and to have the chance to get my picture taken with him. We had a nice brief chat and he was most gracious.

If you ever have the opportunity to see Johnny Mathis live in concert, don't hesitate. Buy your tickets immediately. One thing is for sure: these legendary performers and entertainers are not going to be here forever. I count myself as lucky to have had this opportunity to see one of the all-time truly great singers and entertainers. Thank you, Johnny!

Monday, May 04, 2009

May 4, 1997 - Treasure Island Oldies debuted with the very first show, with a "scorching" transmission speed of 56 kbps, although most people's dial-up modems connected at 28 kbps. Those were the days...you'd be lucky to hear an entire song before there was buffering of the feed or you lost the connection entirely and had to re-connect.

May 3, 2009 we celebrate the 12th Anniversary of Treasure Island Oldies, and how things have changed. We have two separate high bandwidth feeds, one for Real Media and another for Windows Media, plus the Treasure Island Oldies Continuous 24/7 Feed of shows. Not only are we heard around the world online, but we also have the Broadcast Partners Network with FM, AM and Online Radio Stations in the United States, Canada, England and Sweden carrying the show. In fact, we have been on Radio 88 in Gothenberg, Sweden for over five years now. I'd like to take a moment to thank the Mediaontap Network, which originates the online feeds, and Insinc, our technical provider. We have been working together since day one. I'd also like to thank Tom Locke, who has been involved writing the weekly feature Moment In Time since 1999 when it was first called the Sorrells Pickard Pick Of The Week. Thanks very much for your commitment every week, Tom. I'd also like to thank our other weekly contributors to the show: Tim & Jill in Cambridge, Ontario with their Hitsville USA Motown Feature, Rick in Madison, Wisconsin with Rick's Rare Rock And Roll Relic, Fay Greenwood in Langley, British Columbia and her new segment, Hits From Across The Pond. And a big tip of the hat also goes out to Britt in Cherry Hill, New Jersey for the weekly BBC - Britt Beatles Classic and to EJ Phillips in Troy, North Carolina for his Oldie of the Week. I'd like to say a special thank you to Eddy Fisher, our Webmaster, who keeps the Website completely up to date, along with the Archived Shows and the Rock & Roll New Podcasts, and so much more. Thank you for all you do every day for the show Eddy. I would like to send out a special thank you to YOU, the listener, for your loyalty, friendship and support. We continue to grow week after week but we still keep our great family feel. And to all the Nuts in the Hut, the Chat Room regulars, I look forward to the live show every week knowing that there will be lots of great conversations in the Chat Room. Your participation makes four hours seem like four minutes. Cheers!

And what a celebration we had for our 12th Anniversary Special, a record number of folks in the Chat Room, and the most phones calls and emails I have received for one show. Thank you, it was great to play your requests, and there were lots. We were able to extend the celebration by wishing a Happy 23rd Anniversary to Rick and Connie in Madison, Wisconsin, and wishing Happy Birthday to our Webmaster, Eddy Fisher as well as to Marc Baillergeon in Edmonton, Alberta.

I received a very nice email from a brand new listener, Vinny B, which I would like to share with you: "I have recently found your show on the Internet and I have to tell you "I LOVE IT"! It's about time that someone plays more than the top forty or so songs. Taking it a couple of steps beyond and in addition, adding some little known facts. Well done. Keep up the good work. Wish I could hear more." Thanks very much Vinny, and welcome to the Island. I always enjoy hearing from listeners and it's easy to get in touch with me: michael@treasureislandoldies.com

In celebration of our 12th Anniversary our Song of the Week at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog is Happy Anniversary performed live by the Little River Band. Enjoy!(There's a Bonus Song too but you have to visit the Blog to find out what it is.)

This week Voice Your Choice features the darling of the Mamas and Papas, Mama Cass Elliot, with two of her great lead vocal singles: It's Getting Better and Dream A Little Dream of Me. Cast your vote. Click the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Speaking of next week's show, you won't want to miss our annual salute to Mom with our Annual Mother's Day Special. If you have a special song you'd like me to play, send your requests to me. Click the Requests button on any page and then let me know what you'd like to hear. And I would also enjoy hearing from you with a voicemail message. Call the 24/7 Listener Request Line at Area Code 206 203-4678 and record your message. I'll play it back on the show.

It would be great to have you as part of the Listener Gallery. Send your photo, name, city and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and you'll be hanging out with other proud Islanders! And be sure to check out the Listener Gallery. Click the Listener Gallery button, located just under the Requests button.

If you missed the live show of our 12th Anniversary Special of May 3, 2009, just click Listen on the Menu, then scroll down to the Archived Shows section. And be sure to check all the great songs we played. Click Playlist for the song titles and artists.

Thanks again for a great 12th Anniversary celebration and see you next week for our Annual Mother's Day Special. Have a good week.

Mama Cass was born Ellen Naomi Cohen on September 19, 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland to parents Philip and Bess Cohen. And according to Wikipedia: "She adopted the name "Cass" in high school – possibly, as Denny Doherty tells it, borrowing it from the actress Peggy Cass – but in any case, it was just 'Cass,' not 'Cassandra.' She assumed the surname Elliot sometime later, in memory of a friend who had died.

She started her acting career with a part in the play The Boy Friend while she was still in school. After dropping out of George Washington High School shortly before graduation, she went to New York City, where she appeared in The Music Man but lost the part of Miss Marmelstein in I Can Get It for You Wholesale to Barbra Streisand in 1962. While working as a hat check girl at "The Showplace" in Greenwich Village, Elliot would sometimes sing, but it wasn't until she returned to the Washington area, to attend American University, that she began to pursue a singing career. As America's folk music scene was on the rise, Elliot met banjoist and singer Tim Rose and singer John Brown, and the three began performing as The Triumvirate. In 1963, James Hendricks replaced Brown and the trio was renamed The Big Three. Elliot's first recording, Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod, with The Big Three, was released by FM Records in 1963.

When Tim Rose left The Big Three in 1964, Elliot and Hendricks teamed up with Canadians Zal Yanovsky and Denny Doherty as The Mugwumps. This group lasted eight months, after which Cass performed as a solo act for a while. Yanovsky joined with John Sebastian to co-found The Lovin' Spoonful while Doherty joined The New Journeymen with John Phillips and his wife, Michelle. In 1965, Doherty finally convinced Phillips that Cass should join the group. She did so, officially, while they were vacationing in the Virgin Islands.

A popular legend about Elliot is that her vocal range was improved by three notes after she was hit on the head by some copper tubing shortly before joining the group, while they were in the Virgin Islands. Elliot herself confirmed the story; in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1968 she said, “It’s true, I did get hit on the head by a pipe that fell down and my range was increased by three notes. They were tearing this club apart in the islands, revamping it, putting in a dance floor. Workmen dropped a thin metal plumbing pipe and it hit me on the head and knocked me to the ground. I had a concussion and went to the hospital. I had a bad headache for about two weeks and all of a sudden I was singing higher. It’s true. Honest to God.”

However, according to people who knew her well, this was not true - Elliot always had a standout singing voice. Her friends said that the pipe story was used as a more politically-correct explanation for why John had kept her out of the group for so long, because the real reason she was not accepted sooner was that John considered her to be too fat."

During her time as part of the Mamas and Papas, she sang lead on the two songs that we are featuring on Voice Your Choice next week on Treasure Island Oldies. Cast your vote for either It's Getting Better or Dream A Little Dream Of Me. Come to the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner on next week's show.

To celebrate the 12th Anniversary of Treasure Island Oldies, I thought it would be appropriate to have as our Song Of The Week, Happy Anniversary by the Little River Band. This is a live performance of this classic hit, and boy they nail it live.Enjoy!Michael

And as we were doing a lot of reminiscing on the show, here again is the Little River Band live in concert with Reminiscing. There guys are great!

Loaded Web

About Me

I love good music - period, but I have a passion for the music of
the '50, '60s and '70s. I started Treasure Island Oldies for two
reasons: I had to get back on the air; I missed radio so much. I also
got tired of hearing "good times and 'eight' oldies", and knew with all
my previous radio programming experience, I could offer a weekly oldies
show that would feature familiar songs but also a lot of "instant
memories", songs you have not heard since they were first played on the
radio for a short time, then disappeared, seemingly forever. I knew
having someone hear a song they have not heard for literally 30 or 40
years, would touch a nerve. Perhaps the memory of a special occasion,
or maybe just another day, that particular song really caught their ear
back then. And every time I play one of those what I call Lost
Treasures, I get immediate individual feedback from the chat room,
email and my blogs. So I play a lot of music heard hardly anywhere
else. Join me live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific, and also, the weekly
show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com Let the memories flow!